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Meet our Team

The Office of Academic Support is composed of an amazing team of Peer Mentors, Peer Tutors, and the staff pictured here. We encourage you to get to know us!

Rachel Heiser

Assistant Dean of the Undergraduate College and Director of Academic Support

Dr. Rachel Heiser (she/her) received her Doctor of Education in Higher Education and a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology, both from Temple University. Since 2011, she has partnered with students, staff and faculty at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï to grow services and programs that assist students in reaching their personal definition of academic success. When she is not immersed in the Owl community, she enjoys traveling (she has been to all 50 states and 5 continents!), being in the great outdoors, spending time with friends and family, and being a cat mom to PJ and Mia.

Schedule an appointment with Rachel .

Amanda Brown

Assistant Director of Academic Support

Assistant Director of Academic Support Amanda Brown (she/her) received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Millersville University of Pennsylvania and her master's degree in marriage and family therapy from La Salle University. Additionally, she is certified as a coach and in providing hypnotherapy. 

Prior to working at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï, she provided school-based mental health support in several Pennsylvania school districts. In her role at BMC, she helps students to develop the skills and habits that allow them to feel confident and successful at college and as people.

Outside of her work at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï, Amanda can be found experimenting in the kitchen with vegan recipes, reading lots of books, listening to music, watching movies, exploring her creative side through art and writing, and being a dog mom.

Schedule an appointment with Amanda .

Carlee Warfield

Graduate Assistant

Carlee Warfield (she/her) is the Graduate Assistant for the Office of Academic Support. She is a recent ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï alum who participated in the Student Government Association and Peer Mentor program. Carlee is pursuing a master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration at Rosemont College. In her role as the Graduate Assistant for Academic Support, Carlee advises the Peer Mentor program and coaches student leaders on balancing extracurricular and academic commitments while maintaining a work-life balance. She also develops programming to address higher education's "unwritten curriculum" and help students strengthen their time management, note-taking, professor-student interactions, and more. Outside of her work in higher education, Carlee enjoys taking nature walks, baking sweet treats, and spending time with her cats.

Student leaders can schedule an Academic Coaching appointment with Carlee .

Paige Biderman

Graduate Intern

Paige Biderman (she/her) is the graduate intern for the Office of Academic Support and a current GSSWSR student. Paige received her bachelor's degree in psychology at Drexel University. She previously worked as a College and Career Advisor for a non-profit that served the Philadelphia Unified School District. Now at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï, she works with students to help students balance academic, personal, and work duties. In her free time, she enjoys concerts, basketball games, traveling, and spending time with her dog, Biggie Smalls.

Schedule an Academic Coaching appointment with Paige .

Della Burke

Peer Academic Coach

Della (she/her) is one of the Peer Academic Coaches for the Office of Academic Support. She is  a senior Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology major and Growth and Structure of Cities minor, interested in ancient urbanism and household archaeology. She complements her major and minor coursework with language study and anthropology and history classes.  In her role as a peer academic coach, Della eagerly supports her peers in all fields. Still, she can offer the most comprehensive and personal support in meeting academic goals in the social sciences, humanities, and languages. Outside of her work in the Office of Academic Support, Della works as a circulation assistant and supervisor in Carpenter and Collier libraries. Previously, she worked as a dorm-based Peer Mentor, which led her to Peer Academic Coaching.

Schedule a Peer Academic Coaching appointment with Della .

Shriya Shivakumar

Peer Academic Coach

Shriya (she/her) is a Peer Academic Coach for the Office of Academic Support. She is a senior from Overland Park, Kansas, currently pursuing a major in Biology and a minor in Data Science, with a focus in computational biology. She has specialized academic experience in fields related to Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Medicine, and Data Science. In addition to her academic pursuits, Shriya has worked as a research assistant at CHOP for 3 years, as the Merion Peer Mentor, at the Canaday Help Desk, as the head of the S.TEAM SGA Committee, and as a member of the Health Center Advisory Board. Shriya is dedicated to assisting fellow students in achieving their academic goals and is a resource for inquiries related to course scheduling, fulfilling requirements, campus resources, study tips, and any other academic questions! She is also a resource for finding summer opportunities as she has participated in Summer Internships at SSR, UPenn, and Harvard School of Public Health!

Schedule a Peer Academic Coaching appointment with Shriya .

Megan McDonald

Re-Enrolled Student (RS) Mentor

Megan McDonald (she/her) is one of the RS Mentors for the Office of Academic Support and a senior. She took a year away between her sophomore and junior year for mental health reasons. Megan was originally an English Lit major, but she switched to Chemistry after her return in her junior year. Outside of being an RS Mentor, Megan also is a member of the XC/track team and works as a writing center tutor. She attributes finding community through the XC/track team and proactively reaching out for help through Academic Support as some of the ways she felt successful in her first semester back at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï. Megan is here to offer the student perspective and support for students thinking about taking a leave, currently on a leave, and returning from leaves of absence. 

Natalie Eaton

Re-Enrolled Student (RS) Mentor

Natalie Eaton (she/her) is one of the RS Mentors for the Office of Academic Support. She is a second semester junior in the fall semester and will be a December 2025 graduate of ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï. She took three years away after her first year due to COVID, academic, and mental health related reasons. She is a psychology major and excited to be working with other re-enrolling students. Natalie found success in her time back through the regular meetings with the Office of Academic Support, close contact with her professors, and utilizing other resources on campus like Career and Civic Engagement. She is available to help students who are thinking about taking a leave, that are on leaves, and in their first semester back at the College after a leave.